Murder of Stephanie Forster & Burnaby Fire

Last week my sister Steph was tragically murdered in Coquitlam, BC. For the last week our family has been trying to come to grips with this new horrible reality. My sister was an incredible artist, among many other talents, and we spent yesterday moving all of her art and personal effects into the spare room at my mom’s Burnaby home. As we sat discussing the plans for her cremation, we realized the neighbouring house had caught fire. We managed to escape with her pets and a few of my sister’s things so we’re safe and okay, but have a many more problems to deal with now. It sounds as though her things have survived the fire (we haven’t been able to go back in yet) but we need somewhere secure to keep all of these treasured items.

My mom didn’t have insurance and now has nowhere to live. It’s the holidays and most of the hotels and Airbnbs are full; what’s remaining is extremely expensive. Additionally, I fly back to Manitoba on Saturday December 17th and will have to leave my mom here to deal with everything alone.

On top of the fire, there are dozens of unexpected costs related to my sister’s death. Money won’t solve most of our problems but it will reduce the stress so we can focus on what’s important. We need to find a storage locker, hire movers, and find somewhere for my mom to live, on top of the typical arrangements that come along with handling an estate.

Please donate what you can to help her get through this impossible time in our lives. I can’t leave BC without knowing that my mom has a safe place to stay.